Road to NEETdom
by Sofiakkuma
Summary: [Collection of one-shots] [High School] [Also on AO3] A collection of one-shots about exploring the dynamics of the Matsuno brothers during their high school years before they became NEETs. One-shot #3 - As the first year of high school begins for the sextuplets, Ichimatsu decides to help Jyushimatsu practice for the school's baseball tryouts.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Osomatsu-san and all of its characters belongs to Fujio Akatsuka

 **Rated: T** for violence and coarse language

 **Timeline:** High School - second year

 **Summary:** One-shot #1 - While trying to maintain a good reputation at school, Todomatsu encounters a bully, and it isn't his first time dealing with him.

* * *

They say that high school is supposed to be the best three years of your life. Some people will agree with that statement once they've experienced it, but everything's different for everyone. In the Matsuno household, the sextuplets were on the road to finding out if that statement was true for themselves.

Todomatsu was one of the brothers who was determined to make his experience at Akatsuka High School the best yet, and it was going pretty well for him. With his first year already halfway over, he had been able to make plenty of friends not only in school, but also on social media. He was generally well-liked, and most of his friends were of the opposite gender. He was an average student and his grades were normal, but they weren't his main concern in high school.

Todomatsu strived to be noticed.

He wore different clothing than what was considered as the norm outside of school in order to achieve this attention that he craved. He hated being referred to as one of the sextuplets, as if they were just one big group of people instead of individual beings. It was bad enough that they all shared homeroom together and had to wear the required school uniform. He loved his brothers, but it got tiring at times having the same face as five other people.

Sitting in the 3rd row from the front of the classroom, Todomatsu played on his phone as he waited for homeroom to begin, Osomatsu seated at the desk to the left of him. He sighed, watching as his brothers huddled together around the eldest brother's desk, talking and arguing about nonsense as usual.

Todomatsu wished he could tuck his head into a hole in the ground so he didn't have to be recognized as these idiots' brother. It was obvious that the Matsunos weren't the most popular bunch in school, but Todomatsu had been trying to change that reputation for both himself and his kin. The least they could do was try to be a little less embarrassing.

Going back to scrolling through his phone and commenting on posts here and there, Todomatsu ignored his brothers until he felt a pat on his left shoulder.

Osomatsu grinned at him from his desk as he rubbed his index finger under his nose. "Hey, Todomatsu, did you do the math homework?"

Todomatsu frowned at his brother, not expecting any less. "Geez Osomatsu-nii-san, aren't you supposed to be our role model? You're lazy as hell," he proclaimed, reaching into his navy tote bag to grab his homework.

The eldest chuckled, taking hold of the worksheet so he could copy Todomatsu's work down. "Doing work is boring. I'd rather spend my time reading manga or playing cards."

"Yeah, we've noticed," a new voice spoke, the brothers identifying it as Choromatsu's. The third eldest crossed his arms over his chest, "You really need to start doing your own work nii-san or you'll never pass high school!"

"Heh, the road to success involves working hard-" Karamatsu joined in, but was interrupted by Ichimatsu telling him to shut up. Todomatsu noticed how painful he was becoming lately. It seemed like being in the drama club was starting to rub off on him.

Jyushimatsu laughed and flailed his arms around like noodles, "No need to be so harsh, Ichimatsu-nii-san."

Todomatsu watched as his brothers devolved right back into their jumbled conversation before ignoring them again. He glanced around the classroom to see if any of his friends had arrived yet. After noticing one of them walk in, he stood up from his seat and strolled over; anything to get away from his brothers.

"Good morning, Ami-chan," He greeted, waving his hand.

"Oh, good morning, Todomatsu!" Ami smiled cutely, "I've been wanting to tell you something! You wouldn't believe what happened to me yesterday. My parents finally let me get a dog!"

Todomatsu gasped at this revelation. He knew how long his friend had been wanting to get one, but her parents were strict and had always denied her that option. "No way! What made your parents change their minds?"

"They said I could get one if I started improving my grades, so I'm going to have to work extra hard!" She giggled. "Did you want to come over later to meet him? I named him Yuu!"

Todomatsu's eyes widened in surprise as a small blush formed over his cheeks. He couldn't believe he was finally being asked to go to a girl's house! It was an amazing victory; a miracle! He was internally screaming in triumph.

However...

He turned around quickly to take a glance at his brothers, making sure they weren't listening to his conversation. He sighed in relief when he saw them not paying any attention to him. Good. He didn't need those demons ruining this opportunity for him.

He looked back over to Ami and smiled sweetly, nodding his head. "Yeah, sure!"

* * *

The school day went on as normal as it could get for the sextuplets who were split up into two separate classrooms for their second year. Todomatsu was in a class with Osomatsu who continuously fell asleep during lessons and Karamatsu who constantly fixed his hair. Choromatsu, Jyushimatsu, and Ichimatsu were together in the classroom next to them, and Todomatsu didn't know which class of brothers he'd rather be in. He sometimes wished he was in one by himself.

Once lunch arrived, Todomatsu made another attempt to get away from his embarrassing eldest brothers. He grabbed the pink-wrapped bento that his mother made for him that morning and went off to join some of his female friends to eat elsewhere.

They walked down the hallways and talked about whatever came to mind, discussing good vacation spots and fancy restaurants. Todomatsu was enjoying himself with his friends, telling jokes and laughing at theirs. He couldn't wait to sit down somewhere and eat-

"Well, if it isn't Todomatsu."

Todomatsu stopped in his tracks, a scowl slowly growing on his face. He recognized that voice anywhere, seeing as it was constantly spewing insults at him. He turned around to address the voice and spat, "What the hell do you want, Sadao?" He was getting tired of this guy bothering him all the time. Todomatsu was well-liked around the school despite having imbeciles for brothers, but that didn't mean he didn't have any enemies.

Sadao just scoffed and ignored his question, "Where are the rest of your brothers? Did you ditch them because of how freaking weird they are? Not that you aren't just as weird as them."

"Just leave him alone, Sadao," One of Todomatsu's friends spoke, grabbing his hand to try and pull him away, but Todomatsu wasn't going to have any of it. He knew how to stand up for himself.

"My brothers might be weird, but we could kick your ass, so I suggest you back off."

It was at this point that other students in the hallway began to turn their heads towards the scene, forming a circle around it. "What, can't fight me on your own? Does the youngest brother need his older brothers to fight his battles for him?"

Even though the statement was true, it still pissed Todomatsu off. He was the weakest of his brothers, but his words were like acid. "You're just jealous because you're a lousy pissbaby who can't hold a girlfriend for a week. I know you're not very popular with the female population, but don't come whining to me when you don't get what you want. Go whine to your mom instead, which I'm sure you already do," he smirked at his own words.

It seemed like something snapped within Sadao, because the next thing he knew, Todomatsu was jerked forward, Sadao snatching his collar. "What the hell do you know about me, you freak? You and your brothers are just lame virgins who've never had a girlfriend in your life. No one would want to date you."

"At least they actually want to be my friend."

And just like that, Todomatsu fell to the ground with a stinging feeling on his left cheek. He gasped as he was roughly grabbed by the collar again, Sadao getting on top of him to punch him a second time.

Todomatsu struggled furiously, trying to grab at Sadao's hand so it would release his collar, but he wasn't strong enough. Another punch came to his face, and then down to his stomach. He choked out his words, "S-Stop! Get off!"

The students were getting riled up, some of them off to find teachers to stop the fight and the rest staying to watch, and Todomatsu was getting _scared._ It was the first time Sadao had actually hit him; he never figured Sadao would have the actual guts to act on what seemed like hollow threats.

Another punch, and then another, and Todomatsu's nose was bleeding. He had bruises on his face and stomach, and a split lip. Tears started to form in his eyes, and he continued trying to struggle out of his attacker's hold.

And then it stopped.

Todomatsu wheezed as the pressure came off of him, and he flipped onto his side to try to ease the pain, but it wouldn't go away. His whole body ached and his face was messy with blood, but he was just glad that the beating was over.

In his daze, he tried to see what had happened until he saw someone standing above him with the same face as him.

Osomatsu...

Todomatsu looked for Sadao and saw him on the ground as well, clutching his stomach in pain. Osomatsu was rubbing his own hand with a look on his face that Todomatsu had never seen before. It kind of scared him, but before he could think longer on it, Osomatsu was facing him with a soft smile.

The youngest brother watched as Osomatsu bent down before him, placing a hand on his back to help him sit up. Todomatsu groaned in pain, looking up at his oldest brother with tears still stinging at the edges of his eyes. "Osomatsu-nii-san.."

The eldest just continued to smile nonchalantly at him and rub his back, "Don't worry Todomatsu, your big brother is here now!"

Those words only caused Todomatsu to start crying, and before he could try and stop them, tears were sliding down his face.

"Osomatsu-nii-san!"

"Hey, what happened?"

More voices had joined the crowd of students, and Todomatsu glanced over to see the rest of his brothers frantically trying to assess the situation. Once they spotted Todomatsu, they all ran over to him with worried looks on their faces.

"Todomatsu!"

"Are you okay?"

Todomatsu quickly nodded, "Y-yeah, I'm fine."

"No, you're not, Todomatsu!" Choromatsu panicked, "You have blood on you!"

It was scary for all the brothers to see their youngest sibling all bruised up.

"You freaks.. worrying about a worthless piece of trash like that." Sadao spoke up, sitting up now that the pain in his stomach subsided a bit.

All the brothers turned to look at him besides Osomatsu, now fully understanding what had happened. It was quiet in the hallway as everyone waited for someone to speak.

In the end, it was Osomatsu who got rid of the silence, "He's my little brother, and I don't appreciate you calling him names and punching him," he voiced with a small smile and his eyes closed, his body still turned away from Sadao.

The rest of the brothers were boiling with rage as they gazed at Sadao. Ichimatsu had his fists clenched, Choromatsu had a disgusted look on his face, and Karamatsu and Jyushimatsu cracked their knuckles. If there was one unwritten rule in the school, it was that if you mess with one Matsuno brother, you mess with all of them. They slowly walked toward Sadao as he gulped and tried to back away.

Todomatsu watched the commotion with a bewildered look on his face, but before he could say anything, Osomatsu was helping him stand up and taking him to the nurse's office. "Let's get you patched up."

Todomatsu nodded as he let his brother guide him through the hallway. Everything still ached, but he tried his best to walk.

Osomatsu kept a firm hand on his back, rubbing small circles into it as they traveled. Todomatsu looked up at his oldest brother and spoke, "Thank you, nii-san."

Osomatsu just grinned and chuckled, rubbing his index finger once again under his nose, "No need to thank me, Todomatsu! I'm your big bro, it's what I'm supposed to do."

Todomatsu just smiled at his brother, not expecting any less.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** My new one-shot collection series, but this time based on the high school lives of the characters from Osomatsu-san! There will be no shipping here.

The one-shots in this story will not be in chronological order. It's whatever ideas come to my mind that I feel need to be written down. This story will be based on the Matsuno brothers during their high school years and will be exploring all sorts of dynamics, but it's mostly just for fun! I'm not going to make this story a priority by any means.

This chapter was a character study for Totty and how his daily high school life would be like with his brothers. Totty is the type who is all bark and no bite; he can say the meanest things, but when he gets put under a lot of pressure, he caves. That's the main dynamic that I wanted to explore in this chapter, so I hope you enjoyed it!

'Till next time!

-Sofia


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Osomatsu-san and all of its characters belongs to Fujio Akatsuka

 **Rated: T** for coarse language

 **Timeline:** High School - first year

 **Summary:** One-shot #2 - Being the most responsible one out of the all brothers, Choromatsu's stress builds up and he needs some reassurance.

* * *

"Dinner's ready, boys!"

"Yahoo!" Osomatsu cheered, jumping up from the couch in the brothers' bedroom and dropping the manga that he had been reading onto the floor. He watched as the rest of his siblings perked up as well and stopped whatever they were doing to find out what was for dinner, sprinting down the stairs first. Osomatsu was about to follow them when he noticed one of his brothers still lying on the floor. "Hey, Choromatsu, aren't you going to eat?"

Choromatsu just hummed as he lay on his stomach, writing on a sheet of paper that was placed on a clipboard in front of him, "I'll be down in a bit."

Osomatsu glanced at his younger brother curiously, not sure what he was writing, but the words looked messy and smudged, and eraser markings covered the paper. He shrugged and voiced a quick 'okay' before rushing down the steps. He was starving; he couldn't wait any longer for his dinner.

He arrived at the kotatsu where all his brothers were waiting. They groaned as they saw Osomatsu finally walk in.

"Geez, what took you so long? I'm hungry!" Whined Todomatsu.

Osomatsu just chuckled. "I'm hungry too, so let's eat already!" He sat down at the kotatsu and gazed at all the food placed before his very eyes.

It looked so beautiful that he could almost taste it just by staring. There was a huge grilled fish for the main dish, and on the side was a hot steaming pot of rice, bowls of delicious miso soup, and plates filled with vegetables for each individual brother. Their mother was a miracle worker.

"Thanks for the meal!" They all shouted before each grabbing a pair of chopsticks. Osomatsu had swallowed a mouthful of rice and was savoring the taste before he heard Karamatsu speak.

"Where's Choromatsu?" He eyed Osomatsu for an answer. The other brothers also turned to watch him as they continued to chew food in their mouths, not looking as interested.

"He's coming down later," Osomatsu replied, grabbing a carrot from his side dish and popping it into his mouth.

Karamatsu didn't seem too happy with the answer, but continued to eat nonetheless.

"Hey, did you guys finish that essay for english class yet?" Ichimatsu asked as he munched on his mackerel.

"Of course! It's worth a pretty big amount of your grade, y'know," Todomatsu lightly scolded, pointing his chopsticks at Ichimatsu.

"Tch, I bet you just bullshitted the entire thing."

Todomatsu crossed his arms and scowled at his brother, "At least I actually finished it. You didn't even start it!"

Before Ichimatsu could reply, Osomatsu put his arm around his shoulders and ruffled his hair. "That makes two of us, little bro!" He chuckled, letting go of Ichimatsu to steal some of his rice.

Todomatsu just sighed and turned to glance at Jyushimatsu who was currently slurping up his entire bowl of soup. "What about you, Jyushimatsu-nii-san?"

Jyushimatsu slammed his bowl down onto the table and proceeded to lick his lips before answering, "I wrote it in crayon!"

"I don't think you're allowed to do that, Jyushimatsu," Karamatsu informed, smiling sheepishly at Jyushi's antics.

"Let him do what he wants," Ichimatsu glared at Karamatsu.

"Stop stealing my food, Osomatsu-nii-san!" Todomatsu shouted, moving his plate away from Osomatsu's prying chopsticks.

"Oh c'mon, you eat too slow!"

"And you eat too fast!"

* * *

"I'm surprised you aren't a huge fatass, nii-san." Todomatsu huffed as the brothers walked upstairs to their bedroom.

"Hey! Is that any way to talk to your older brother?"

"Older by like 10 minutes!"

"He ate all my vegetables," Ichimatsu mumbled, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Osomatsu just chuckled as he grabbed the door to slide it open. Walking inside, he noticed Choromatsu laying on the floor in the same position he was in earlier. There were a couple bunched up pieces of paper lying next to him, and he didn't seem to notice the brothers come in.

"Choromatsu? Why didn't you come down for dinner?" Karamatsu ended up asking.

Choromatsu jumped slightly at the sound of his name being called, and turned to address his sibling. "O-Oh, sorry.. I lost track of time, I guess."

"Ah, that's alright, brother," Karamatsu smiled, "Mom wrapped it up and put it in the fridge for you."

Choromatsu just nodded before continuing to scribble words on his paper, his concentration solely focusing back to what he was writing.

The brothers exchanged worried and curious looks, but eventually settled to ignore the distant vibe Choromatsu was giving off. It would probably pass soon.

* * *

It was almost midnight when the moon shed light into the dimly-lit room of the Matsuno brothers. They were all snuggled up in their respective spots on the futon, trying to get as much sleep as they could before school the next morning. The room was exceptionally quiet save for the occasional scrunching up of papers and frantic erasing and writing.

Choromatsu was the only brother still awake as he sat up away from the futon with his clipboard in his lap. He was pulling at his hair, crumpling up another piece of paper that he deemed not good enough. It didn't seem like anything he wrote was good enough.

This stupid essay was driving him crazy, and no matter how much he tried, he just couldn't get the wording right. He needed a good grade; he needed it to be perfect. Sure, he was already passing the class with a near perfect score, but what if his essay turns out terrible and he fails the class? He couldn't let that happen.

He gave a frustrated grunt as he started over on a new sheet, copying down the intro that he had rewritten for what seemed like a million times already. He pulled at his hair some more, ruffling it up and causing it to look almost like Ichimatsu's. He tapped his pencil against the paper and chewed on the eraser, trying to think of something, _anything_ that would sound right.

Sooner or later the grip of his left hand on his hair caused a couple strands to fall out, and he continued pulling and pulling until a firm hand grabbed his, moving it away from his head.

"Stop it, Choromatsu."

Surprised at the sudden grab at his hand and the unexpected voice, Choromatsu flinched and turned around to see Osomatsu looking down at him with a serious look. He had bags under his eyes as if he hadn't fallen asleep at all, and his hair was sticking up in certain places.

Now that he thought about it, Choromatsu did remember hearing Osomatsu toss and turn a lot in the futon.

"O-Osomatsu-nii-san.. Sorry I woke you," he spoke guiltily.

"Don't apologize. What are you still doing up?"

This only caused Choromatsu to feel even more ashamed, and he lowered his head to look back down at his still unfinished essay.

Osomatsu let go of his hand and sat down to the left of him, taking a glance at the piece of paper. "Still working on this, huh?" Osomatsu voiced with a minor look of amusement, "I figured you would have finished it already."

"Yeah, well, not everyone can be as lazy and as carefree as you, nii-san."

Osomatsu just snickered slightly at that, nonchalantly leaning backwards with his hands on the floor to balance himself, his legs laid out in front of him. "There's no reason to get so stressed out over it."

"Sorry that I want to actually get good grades and do something with my life," Choromatsu snarled, knowing that he was getting annoyed because of this stupid essay, but taking it out on his older brother anyway.

"No need to be cruel," Osomatsu playfully whined, side eyeing the third eldest. "You've just been going at this all day, and I bet you didn't even eat dinner."

Choromatsu visibly winced at that, knowing that Osomatsu was right. He was being ridiculous. He needed to calm down and just keep what he had already written, but…

"It doesn't sound right. No matter what I put down, it doesn't sound right. I need to get a good grade. I can't let mom and dad down. I can't let anyone down." He softly said, laying the clipboard on the ground to pull his knees up and lay his elbows on them.

"Hey, I'm sure whatever you already wrote sounded fine; better than fine even!" Osomatsu turned to face him directly. "Choromatsu, you're the smartest out of all of us! You get such good grades that even if you failed the essay, you would still have a high score in the class." Osomatsu smiled, wrapping his arm around Choromatsu's neck and pulling the sides of their foreheads together. "So let's go get something to eat, okay? I'll help you out with your essay, but then you should get some sleep."

Choromatsu was stunned into silence, gazing at Osomatsu with a baffled look. He let his oldest brother pull his hand to stand up, both walking quietly so as not to disturb the rest of their siblings.

Osomatsu opened the door to the hallway and was about to step out when he suddenly stopped. "Choromatsu," he spoke solemnly with his back to his brother.

Choromatsu eyed him curiously as the hand in his palm tightened slightly.

"You don't need to freak out over every assignment, okay? None of us will ever look down on you, and you'll never let us down."

Choromatsu released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He could say that to himself a million times and never believe it, but to hear it from his oldest brother's mouth…

He felt like he could finally believe in himself again.

A tiny smile formed on his face as he and Osomatsu walked down to the main room.

Yeah, he could get through this.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Sorry for the long wait, guys! This chapter is shorter, too, but I think it's enough to get across how Choromatsu feels being labeled as the most responsible and how much stress it can cause for a person.

Next chapter will be about Ichi and Jyushi, (though mostly Jyushi) and it'll be much longer than this one, I promise!

Thanks for all the support for the first chapter! It really means a lot! ;u;

-Sofia


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Osomatsu-san and all of its characters belong to Fujio Akatsuka

 **Rated: T** for violence and coarse language

 **Timeline:** High School - first year

 **Summary:** One-shot #3 - As the first year of high school begins for the sextuplets, Ichimatsu decides to help Jyushimatsu practice for the school's baseball tryouts.

 **Warnings:** ableist slurs (the r word)

* * *

The morning that Monday had started off being rainy and miserable, so when the end of the day rolled around, everyone was relieved to finally be going home with the sun shining in the air.

The first year students at Akatsuka High School were still trying to adjust to the new setting as it had only been a month since the school year began. Meetings for clubs were beginning soon, and students from all three grades were starting to think about which clubs they wanted to join.

Reaching for the side of his desk, Ichimatsu grabbed his navy school messenger bag that was hanging on the hook as he stood up. He clutched his homework from his last class and stuffed it into his bag, not caring that it was getting creased. He knew he wasn't going to do it anyway; he didn't have the motivation.

"Ichimatsu-nii-san! Look!"

Ichimatsu jumped at the voice that had called for him, and turned around just to get a piece of paper shoved into his face. It was too close for him to see anything on it, so he decided to ask aloud instead, "Jyushimatsu, what is it?"

Jyushimatsu lowered the paper away from Ichimatsu's face, revealing a 'B+' marked at the top. "I got a better grade than the last test!"

Ichimatsu widened his eyes, surprise written on his face as a sense of pride filled him. Jyushimatsu often had a hard time concentrating when taking tests. Ichimatsu noticed that he would constantly tap his leg, play with his pencil, and look around the room a lot. The times when he was able to truly focus, he was actually pretty smart. "Wow, good job."

The fifth eldest chuckled and slipped the paper neatly into his bag. "Thanks, nii-san! What did you get?"

Ichimatsu was startled by the question. He didn't study at all for that history quiz, so it's not like getting a bad grade was something he didn't expect, but he still couldn't help the feeling of worthlessness that washed over him because of it. "Oh.. I did.. okay," he spoke while averting his eyes to the ground.

Jyushimatsu just smiled at him and patted his back. "You'll do better next time, nii-san!" He then gasped, an idea popping into his head as he said, "We can study together with Choromatsu-nii-san like we've done before!"

The statement caused a sense of warmness to fill Ichimatsu, and he looked at his little brother and smiled before nodding his head, "Okay."

* * *

They joined their brothers in leaving the classroom to walk to the lockers near the school's entrance. Ichimatsu opened his locker and pulled his shoes out, placing them on the ground. He began to remove his indoor slippers when he noticed Jyushimatsu wasn't next to him.

He looked around trying to find his younger brother, and saw him standing, gazing at something outside.

Following his line of sight, Ichimatsu took notice of the school baseball team running around the school in their uniforms. He looked back at Jyushi to see the expression of excitement on his face. It wasn't unknown to the brothers that Jyushimatsu loved baseball. He used to collect baseball cards all the time and watched it on TV, but never really got the chance to play.

Ichimatsu was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Jyushi address him.

"Nii-san?"

"Huh?"

"Did you want to go see the club sign-up sheets with me?"

Ichimatsu wasn't the only one who was taken aback by the question, for the other brothers took notice of their conversation and joined in.

"Whaaat? Jyushimatsu wants to join a club?" Osomatsu asked, smiling with that laid-back grin of his.

"What interests could you possibly have that you would want to join a club for it?" Inquired Todomatsu next, pausing in his excessive tapping on his phone.

"Baseball!" Jyushimatsu exclaimed, and his brothers' faces lit up in realization.

Karamatsu jumped into the discussion as he encouraged his younger brother, "That's a perfect idea for you, brother! You've always loved baseball!"

"Yeah, but, he's never actually played the game before," Choromatsu stated with concern in his voice. "Are you sure you're up for all the exercise and practices, Jyushimatsu?" It took a lot of dedication to join a school sport, and he didn't want it to have an effect on Jyushimatsu's grades.

"Uh-huh!" The second youngest nodded his head, his determination not budging in the least.

Ichimatsu just smiled at his brother's enthusiasm and grabbed his hand, "I'll go with you."

Jyushimatsu chuckled and nodded, "Thanks, nii-san!"

"Well then, good luck with that," Osomatsu spoke up with a bored expression on his face, "I guess we'll meet up with you at home," He slung his bag over his shoulder, ready to head out.

The other brothers spoke their good-byes as well before parting from the two.

Ichimatsu lightly glared at Osomatsu's back for not showing more enthusiasm for Jyushimatsu, but it didn't seem like his younger brother minded too much.

He was suddenly jerked forward when Jyushimatsu began jogging down the halls, still holding onto his hand. He couldn't help but smile at his brother's excitement, and tried his best to keep up.

Ichimatsu wasn't very athletic and was already getting tired as they neared the sign-up sheets stand. Jyushimatsu let go of his hand to look at the sheets as the elder put his hands on his knees, panting like crazy. This was why gym was his least favorite class.

After Ichimatsu calmed down a bit, he stood up straight again to glance at all the different club advertisements hanging on the bulletin board above a table. He saw Jyushimatsu already jotting his name down for the baseball team when something caught his attention on the sheet.

"Oh, Jyushimatsu.. it looks like you have to do tryouts to make the team," he spoke with a concerned tone. Jyushimatsu had never played baseball in his life, and that would definitely make it more challenging for him.

Jyushimatsu just smiled and patted his brother's back, "I'll just make sure to practice lots!" He chuckled. He gazed at the other club options and nudged Ichimatsu, "Are you going to join anything, nii-san?"

"Huh? Me?" Ichimatsu asked, his eyes widening. He knew Jyushimatsu was worried about him since he didn't have any friends and stayed inside all the time. He knew what Jyushimatsu was trying to do, but he still didn't want to give his younger brother a stern 'no.' He hated talking to people and would rather die than join a club, so he went for the next best thing he could think of. "Uh, no.. you know I hate that kinda stuff, but.. I can come with you to your practices."

Ichimatsu watched as Jyushimatsu's smile grew wider than it ever had before, and that was enough for him. Besides, he would be able to spend more time with Jyushimatsu and walk home with him so he didn't have to be alone. He felt genuine joy for the first time in a long while.

* * *

"Batter up!" Jyushimatsu shouted, standing on the pitcher's mound with a baseball as Ichimatsu walked up to the home plate. They had been going at this for about two weeks now, practicing every day at the park after school to get Jyushimatsu ready for tryouts next month.

He was getting pretty good, and his pitches and batting skills were amazing for someone who hadn't played on a team before.

Ichimatsu angled his arm carefully as he eyed the baseball in Jyushimatsu's hands, waiting for him to pitch it. He saw his younger brother raise his leg, bring his hand up, and with a swift throw of the arm-

 _WOOSH!_

"Striiike one!" Jyushimatsu laughed, rushing over to pick up the ball that had flew right past Ichimatsu's swing. "Haha, you're not very good at batting, nii-san!"

Ichimatsu grumbled under his breath, lowering the bat to the ground as he hunched his shoulders. "Tch, whatever. This is stupid. Let's go home already. It's almost dinner time."

Jyushimatsu looked towards the sky to see the sun beginning to set, and then back at his older brother. Ichimatsu might've acted like he wasn't enjoying hanging out with the fifth-born, but Jyushi could tell otherwise. "Okay! I'm starting to get hungry anyway!" He began to gather all the baseball equipment into his bag and slung it over his shoulder, beginning to march home with Ichimatsu.

Once they arrived, Jyushimatsu slid the shoji screen open and shouted out a booming " _we're home!_ " that echoed throughout the house. He put down his bag near the door and ran over to the kotatsu to join his brothers for supper.

"Welcome back, Jyushimatsu-nii-san, Ichimatsu-nii-san," Todomatsu greeted, glancing over to give them a cute smile before turning back to his phone.

"Eugh, you both smell like dirt. Sit next to Osomatsu-nii-san if you're planning on eating with us," Choromatsu commented with a disgusted face.

"Huh!? Why me!?"

"Hai, hai!" Jyushimatsu shouted as he dragged Ichimatsu to sit with him, plopping down right beside Osomatsu and grabbing a pair of chopsticks with his oversized sleeves.

"How was practice today?" Karamatsu asked.

"It was fun! Nii-san is getting good at pitching, but still needs some work on his batting!"

"Tch."

Karamatsu glanced at Ichimatsu and nervously laughed at his deathly glare before focusing back on Jyushi, leaning forward against the table. "And are you getting any better for the tryouts?"

Jyushimatsu nodded eagerly, standing up from the table and swinging his arms around as if he were holding a bat. "I've been hitting lots of home runs and my pitching is muscle hustle!" He laughed.

"Oi, sit down before you knock the table over!" Choromatsu cried indignantly.

Jyushimatsu quickly did as told and flapped his sleeves. "Oh, right! I wanted to know if you guys wanted to practice with me at the school's baseball field tomorrow?" He asked excitedly.

The brothers all perked up at the suggestion, a mix of different feelings hovering over the room.

"Why of course, brother! Anything for-"

"Er, I don't know Jyushimatsu…" Choromatsu nervously started, "I'm not the best at sports.." _And I don't want to embarrass myself at school._

Todomatsu had a similar look on his face, and put his phone down. "Yeah, nii-san.. It's not that I don't want to hang out with you! I just don't think playing with me will be that fun considering I'm not good at sports either," he gave a sad smile.

Jyushimatsu shook his head. "That's okay! We can still have fun! Right, Ichimatsu-nii-san?"

"E-eh?" Ichimatsu jumped slightly, turning to look at Jyushimatsu and then the rest of them. "Y-yeah.. It could be.. fun.."

"Well, you guys can all go and have a good time," Ichimatsu whirled his head around to glare at Osomatsu. "I think I'll stay home tomorrow and watch TV," He got up from the table, gathering his plates together.

Everyone stared at the eldest, watching him carefully. It was rare for Osomatsu to be acting like this, a bit distant from his brothers, and it's been going on ever since Jyushimatsu announced he was going to attend the baseball tryouts. Jyushimatsu looked a bit crestfallen at the statement. Karamatsu narrowed his eyes a bit while Choromatsu and Todomatsu both gave looks of concern. Ichimatsu continued to scowl at the first-born, gnashing his teeth together. There was obviously something going on with Osomatsu, something he wasn't telling them, and it was pissing Ichimatsu off. "So much for being the oldest. You can't even support Jyushimatsu wanting to do something that makes him happy."

Osomatsu stopped walking to the kitchen mid-step, plates still in his hand as he was facing away from them. He slowly turned to side-eye Ichimatsu. "If Jyushimatsu wants to play baseball, he can go ahead and do it. I never said he couldn't, did I?"

Ichimatsu growled as his fists began to shake. He couldn't believe what he was hearing right now. Jyushimatsu had done nothing wrong and yet Osomatsu had been acting like he didn't even exist for the past two weeks! He got up from the kotatsu, anger boiling within him. "That doesn't mean you can just brush him aside whenever you want! He might not look like it, but Jyushimatsu has been suffering because you keep ignoring him like an inconsiderate piece of shit!" He began to shout, and Karamatsu quickly stood up and grabbed his shoulder to try to calm him down. "He's trying his hardest to practice to make it on the team and all he wants his support from his oldest brother!"

Todomatsu whirled around to see Jyushimatsu hanging his head low, his smile strained on his face as he nervously played with his sleeves. "Jyushimatsu-nii-san…?"

"Ichimatsu, please calm down," Karamatsu begged, knowing that this could turn out bad, but Ichimatsu wasn't wavering his resolve.

Osomatsu refused to say a word, standing in the same position with his back turned, his grip on the plates tightening. This only made Ichimatsu's anger grow more intense as he struggled out of Karamatsu's hold. "Aren't you going to say anything!? You made Jyushimatsu feel terrible all these weeks, and you're still choosing to ignore him!?"

No response.

Ichimatsu snarled like a fierce animal, kicking Karamatsu away from him and rushing up to Osomatsu to push him with all his might. Osomatsu staggered a couple steps forward, dropping the plates and making them shatter on the ground.

Osomatsu huffed his breath, quickly spinning around and grabbing Ichimatsu by the collar of his hoodie. He slammed his fist into the right side of Ichimatsu's face and then pushed him back so he could fall back onto the floor.

"YOU-!" Ichimatsu said roughly, scrambling to get up and _get his fists into that arrogant bastard's face too-_

" _Ichimatsu, enough!_ " Karamatsu screamed over everyone's shouts of alarms and flew across the room to hold Ichimatsu back, one hand around his stomach and the other pulling at the back of his hoodie.

Ichimatsu panted angrily as he began to calm down, rage still clear on his face. He watched as Osomatsu still said nothing and left the room, slamming the shoji closed and leaving the broken dishes on the floor. They heard the front door slam as well and the tense atmosphere only relaxed a little.

"Ichimatsu-nii-san, your nose is bleeding!" Todomatsu piped up, causing Choromatsu to get up from the floor and rush over to the kitchen.

"I'll go get some tissues!"

Karamatsu gave Choromatsu a grateful look and sighed with relief, feeling the strain on Ichimatsu's muscles lessen until he eventually slid to the floor and onto his knees, bringing Kara down with him. Karamatsu continued to hold him, rubbing a palm against his back to give him comfort.

"Ichimatsu-nii-san…" Jyushi spoke lowly, and the remaining three in the room all turned to face him.

"'M fine, Jyushimatsu."

Jyushimatsu didn't look convinced, but nodded anyways. Todomatsu slid over to sit next to his older brother and put an arm around him, trying to provide comfort as best he could.

Choromatsu stepped back into the room and handed the tissues over to Ichimatsu, kneeling in front of the two. "Are you alright, Ichimatsu?"

Ichimatsu scoffed as he saw how Choromatsu's hands were shaking. He looked more shaken up about the whole thing than Ichimatsu did and yet he was asking if _he_ was alright? "It just stings a bit," he replied and held up the tissues to his nose.

"I don't know why you went after Osomatsu-nii-san like that.. you know how he can get," Choromatsu eyed Ichimatsu carefully.

Ichimatsu glared down at the floor and spoke lowly, "He hurt Jyushimatsu, and didn't even seem like he cared at all."

Karamatsu and Choromatsu glanced at each other to have an unspoken conversation. "I'll try to talk to him when he gets back," Karamatsu stated.

Choromatsu nodded and looked back at the two youngest. They seemed shaken up as well and he went over to make sure they were okay.

Karamatsu glanced down at Ichimatsu and helped wipe the blood from his face. "Ichimatsu, you shouldn't have-"

"Don't even start, Kusomatsu. I was pissed and I know that bastard is hiding something."

"It's okay to be mad, but getting violent only causes more problems. You have to know how to control it sometimes. You know you're not that strong."

Ichimatsu grumbled under his breath, knowing that Karamatsu was right, but didn't want to admit it. He shoved his way out of Karamatsu's hold and went upstairs to the bathroom to clean up his face, ignoring Karamatsu's calls to him. He knows he should be with Jyushimatsu right now trying to comfort him, but he needed to calm himself down first, and then he would talk to Jyushi.

He felt so shitty causing a huge fight like this, but he couldn't just let Osomatsu keep ignoring and hurting Jyushimatsu.

Whatever. If Osomatsu wanted to continue acting like a jackass, so be it. Ichimatsu would continue to support Jyushimatsu and make sure he continues smiling no matter what.

* * *

It was a week before the tryouts, and Ichimatsu, Jyushimatsu, and Todomatsu were at the school's baseball field helping Jyushimatsu practice. Todomatsu was the pitcher as Jyushimatsu batted, hitting each ball pretty far out into the field.

Todomatsu at first was nervous about helping out, but realized he enjoyed playing baseball with his brothers. "Ichimatsu-nii-san, it's all you!"

Ichimatsu panicked, rushing to catch the ball that Jyushimatsu hit into the field. Jyushimatsu laughed, running around the bases until he reached the home run plate. He jumped up into the air and shouted out enthusiastically, "I did it! Home run, home run!"

Todomatsu laughed, running over to Jyushimatsu to give him a high-five. "Good job, nii-san! You'll definitely make it onto the team!"

Ichimatsu huffed as he returned to the two of them with the ball, panting with his hands on his knees. "I think I'm gon' die..."

"You ran really hard, nii-san! I'm proud of you!" Jyushimatsu giggled, and Ichimatsu tried to turn away to hide his blush.

"What the hell is this? Are you really practicing for the tryouts next week?"

A group of four 2nd years suddenly walked up to the field, acknowledging the three brothers. Ichimatsu turned to glare at them. Who the hell were these punks?

One of the guys turned to his friend, mimicking whispering something into his ear, but saying it out loud that everyone could hear, "Hey, aren't these weirdos part of that creepy set of sextuplets that are in our school? They really are an ugly bunch of idiots!" The four boys cracked up, and Ichimatsu could only growl at them as he stepped between them and his two little brothers.

He felt someone grab his hand, and turned to see Jyushimatsu watching him with a concerned look and holding onto Todomatsu's hand as well. "Nii-san, let's get out of here."

"What? I thought you were practicing for the tryouts? What was your name again? Jyushimatsu, right?" One of them spoke, a smug look on his face and his hands on his hips. "Aren't you the retarded one? Do you really think they would let you onto the team with that messed up brain of yours?" They continued to snicker.

Jyushimatsu physically flinched at the insults, bowing his head down and tightening his hold on Ichimatsu and Todomatsu's hands.

"Hey! Leave him alone, you assholes!" Todomatsu screamed, releasing himself from Jyushimatsu's grip and holding up his fists against his chest. "Do you really have nothing better to do than belittle people while being useless pieces of trash in society? Take a trip somewhere else where people actually want you in their lives, which is probably nowhere but Hell anyways," he taunted, stepping forward and glaring at them.

More laughing ensued as they pointed at Todomatsu, "You think that look is threatening? It's like watching a puppy try to be aggressive!" He walked up to the youngest and grabbed him roughly by the collar of his gakuran, causing Todomatsu to yelp and look up at him in shock. "Don't pick fights with people you know you can't win, kid."

Ichimatsu quickly got out of Jyushimatsu's hold and intervened between the squabble, forcibly pushing the 2nd year off of Todomatsu and shooting a threatening glower at him. " _Get off._ "

The boy only scoffed, before turning back to Jyushimatsu, "How about this? Don't even bother going to the tryouts. You won't make it in with that weird-ass personality of yours, and it's not like anybody on the team is going to like you anyways. Let's go, guys. Leave these freaks to think they can actually make it into Koushien or something," They all walked away, chuckling and looking back with smirks on their faces.

"What a bunch of low-lives. Don't bother with them, Ichimatsu-nii-san, it's not worth it," Spoke Todomatsu, seeing Ichimatsu clench his fists and looking like he was about to run over there and pound them into the ground. "Their words mean nothing, right Jyushimatsu-nii-san?"

Jyushimatsu startled at being addressed, his smile strained as he looked at Todomatsu with wide eyes. "O-oh, uh… that's right! Muscle, muscle! Hustle, hustle!" He jumped around, trying to lighten up the mood. Todomatsu just smiled, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Let's just go home," Ichimatsu spoke, trying to calm himself down, ready for this day to be over already.

* * *

If any outside spectator watched Jyushimatsu leading up to the day of the tryouts, anyone would say that he looked excited and happy, but Ichimatsu knew that that wasn't true at all.

He could see right through his little brother.

Jyushimatsu seemed less and less excited every day, and when they went out to practice, they spent less time than usual, and Jyushimatsu didn't try as hard as he normally would. He was looking down more and more, and then going back to being Jyushimatsu as if everything was okay.

Ichimatsu knew it wasn't.

Even the other brothers noticed. Whenever baseball was brought up, Jyushimatsu would dodge the subject, and would never bring it up himself either.

Not to mention that Osomatsu was still being distant. He continued to halfheartedly act like he cared about Jyushi's interest, and didn't bother trying to start up any conversations with Ichimatsu.

Karamatsu would sometimes give Osomatsu a disapproving look, and told Ichimatsu that they did have a talk, but about what, Ichimatsu had no clue. The asshole wouldn't tell him.

Ichimatsu sighed as he walked to school ahead of his brothers. It was the day before the tryouts and he felt like he was more nervous for Jyushimatsu than Jyushi himself. Jyushi had run to school earlier, claiming he wanted to get some practice in before homeroom began, leaving the brothers to continue getting ready. Ichimatsu wanted to help him out, so he decided to catch up with him.

Everything that Jyushi had said was all revealed to be a lie as Ichimatsu walked to the baseball field and saw the school team practicing, but no sign of the fifth-born. He tried the gym and then the lockers before he checked the classroom and saw Jyushimatsu sitting at his desk with his head bowed. He strolled up to where his younger brother sat and patted his back. "Oi, Jyushimatsu?" He hesitantly spoke.

Jyushimatsu looked up at him with a smile on his face, but the strain on the corners of his mouth betrayed the fact that he was anything but happy right now. He decided to ignore it for now and instead ask, "I thought you were going to practice?"

"Ah, I'm pretty tired actually! I'll go later!" Jyushimatsu nervously replied, his smile still strained and Ichimatsu felt hurt being lied to.

"I see…" Ichimatsu trailed off. If Jyushimatsu wasn't going to tell him what was wrong, he probably shouldn't force him to. He opted to try again later and went to sit in his seat before the other brothers arrived. He dug around in his school bag and took out the crumpled homework sheet given out last night. He straightened it as best he could and grabbed a pencil. He might as well do some of his work since he got here so early.

Halfway through the worksheet, Ichimatsu began to hear snickering to his right. He suddenly felt self-conscious, knowing that they were probably laughing at him. He's had his fair share of overhearing people talk about him behind his back. _Whatever. I know I'm trash so what's the difference._

But that thought completely dissipated once he heard the words " _Jyushimatsu_ " and " _baseball_ " in their hushed voices.

 _What?_

Was this about the tryouts?

He whirled his head around to find Jyushimatsu and saw him even more hunched over in his desk than he was before. He was pretending to be doodling in his notebook, but it was obvious he could hear them.

Ichimatsu gnashed his teeth together. Who cares if Jyushimatsu wants to play baseball? Why did all these assholes keep making such a huge deal out of it? As if his little brother wanting to join the team was some kind of joke they could get a good laugh out of.

The grip on his pencil tightened, and he was about to get up to tell them off when he saw the classroom door slide open to reveal Osomatsu.

Suddenly the three students who were whispering and throwing looks at Jyushimatsu gasped and stopped their mocking once they saw who walked in.

 _What the hell?_

He watched the eldest as he sat down at his desk, kicking his feet up to rest on it and tilting his chair back, his arms behind his head. Lazy eldest brother as always.

Ichimatsu was even more confused now than he ever was. Suddenly people were making fun of Jyushimatsu and were now supposedly afraid of Osomatsu? What the hell was going on?

The other brothers walked into the classroom afterwards, all of them taking their seats spread out across the classroom.

Ichimatsu snuck a peak at Jyushimatsu once more, and it broke his heart to see his little brother bent over his desk. Ichimatsu just sighed, wanting to ask Jyushimatsu what was wrong but knowing he wouldn't know what to say after that. He was pretty shitty in the comforting department.

He turned back to look at Osomatsu again to see the older brother staring right back at him. Ichimatsu startled a bit, but then narrowed his eyes at Osomatsu before looking down at his desk.

He dared to glance at Karamatsu and saw the second-born giving Osomatsu a concerning look. Ichimatsu huffed under his breath. What were those two hiding? He vowed to find out sooner or later.

.

.

.

Once school ended that day, Jyushimatsu didn't stay to practice after all.

* * *

"What do you mean he didn't go to the tryouts, Karamatsu-nii-san!?" Ichimatsu heard Todomatsu yell worryingly from the living room as he stepped into the house and quietly shut the front door. He was shocked to hear Todomatsu's question. Jyushimatsu didn't go to the tryouts? He left the house in order to walk Jyushimatsu home to keep him company when they were over, but after not seeing his little brother there, he figured he must've just missed Jyushimatsu and decided to walk back. He never thought...

"He kept going on and on about practicing for them, though!" Choromatsu cried.

"W-well, you see, brothers, I guess he was just not feeling himself today so-"

"That doesn't make any sense!"

Ichimatsu stayed hidden against the wall next to the door of the living room to eavesdrop on their conversation, wanting to hear what Karamatsu knew.

He felt so stupid. Jyushimatsu was giving off all these signs that he was upset about something and yet he didn't do anything! And now Jyushimatsu didn't go to the tryouts because Ichimatsu was too much a piece of trash to figure out what was wrong-

"He wouldn't just not go after all that build up!"

"Forgive me, but I'm not sure why myself actually…"

 _What a liar._ Ichimatsu knew Karamatsu was hiding something, and to keep it from Choromatsu and Todomatsu too…

Choromatsu sighed, "Well I hope Osomatsu-nii-san can figure out why… I think we should keep away from our bedroom for a bit so he can talk to Jyushimatsu about it."

Wait, Osomatsu and Jyushimatsu were upstairs?

"Yeah… Jyushimatsu-nii-san _has_ been acting strange lately. Have you noticed it too, Karamatsu-nii-san?"

"U-uh! N-not really…"

Ichimatsu growled, clenching his fists. Why was he lying to them!?

"What do you mean 'not really?' Didn't you talk to Osomatsu-nii-san after that fight with Ichimatsu? What did he say?" Choromatsu asked, curiosity in his voice.

"Nothing important, Choromatsu. Trust me."

 _Nothing important..._

 _Jyushimatsu is hurting and that apparently isn't important!?_

Ichimatsu banged his fists against the wall before slamming the shoji door open and entering the room. He stomped over to Karamatsu and grabbed the front of his hoodie.

"Ichimatsu!"

"Ichimatsu-nii-san!"

"You shitty…! How could Jyushimatsu not be important!? He didn't go to the tryouts because something is obviously bothering him, and yet you keep it a secret!?" Ichimatsu's voice was growing hoarse from shouting. He wasn't used to yelling so much, but that didn't stop him.

"No, Ichimatsu, that's not it-"

"Why didn't you tell us!? We could have been there for him! _You_ could have been there for him!"

"Ichimatsu, listen-!"

"But instead here you are, lying to me and Choromatsu and Todomatsu and being a shitty older brother! Jyushimatsu is upset and you're not even trying to help him! You knew what was wrong and you did nothing! You did _nothing-!_ "

 _Just like me._

 _"ICHIMATSU!"_

Ichimatsu flinched as he gasped, his shouting suddenly stopping and his eyes wide like saucers. He looked in front of him and saw Karamatsu's concerned face. "I-I…"

He felt Karamatsu grab his arms, slowly lowering them from his grip on his hoodie. He watched as his older brother put both of his hands on his shoulders and looked him right in the eye. "Ichimatsu, please listen to me."

Ichimatsu nodded, shaking as he watched Karamatsu speak.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner, but.. Osomatsu told me not to."

 _Osomatsu?_

"H-he knew that this was going to happen. That.. Jyushimatsu would end up not being on the baseball team. He told me how he kept hearing everyone talk about Jyushimatsu, saying how he shouldn't try out, how he's too much of a freak to properly play," Karamatsu's voice sounded bitter at that statement, "Even the baseball team was saying terrible things, and Osomatsu didn't want to get Jyushimatsu's hopes up by helping him practice or showing support because he knew that the team would just make fun of him if he made it, and Jyushimatsu would eventually quit because of it.

He went off on a couple students last week at school for what they were saying about Jyushimatsu, and that's why some of them have been pretty wary of him, but Osomatsu didn't want to say anything because he saw how much fun you were all having playing baseball. He didn't want to ruin that, but he also didn't want to see Jyushimatsu's dreams get crushed. Please understand."

Ichimatsu was speechless. He honestly didn't know what to say. He was so angry at Kusomatsu and Osomatsu and with _himself_ that he couldn't shake the feeling of guilt off of him.

He wanted to see Jyushimatsu.

No, he _needed_ to see him.

He pulled out of Karamatsu's grip and rushed upstairs, hearing Choromatsu's shout for him to wait but ultimately ignoring it, and ran until he reached the sextuplets' shared bedroom.

He panted as he stood outside of it, hesitantly placing a hand on the screen before slowly sliding it open.

He saw Osomatsu and Jyushimatsu sitting on the floor next to each other, facing away from the door with their sides touching as Osomatsu combed his left hand through Jyushimatsu's hair. Jyushimatsu's head was lowered, his face buried in his hands as his body shook. _He must've just been crying._

As Ichimatsu took soft steps towards the two, Osomatsu turned around to glance at him with a sad smile before resting his gaze on Jyushimatsu again.

Ichimatsu stepped around them so he could see Jyushimatsu's face and sat in front of the fifth-born.

His little brother slowly looked up and lowered his hands, his smile gone from his face with tear tracks staining his cheeks. The sight nearly broke Ichimatsu's heart, and he scooted closer to grab onto Jyushi's sleeves.

"Ichimatsu-nii-san… I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Jyushimatsu spoke in such a delicate and fragile voice. Ichimatsu never heard his brother sound so lost and hurt before.

Ichimatsu shook his head, squeezing Jyushimatsu's hands in his. "W-why are you apologizing? You didn't deserve any of the shit those bastards said to you," He felt like he could break right then and there.

"Bu-but they were right," Jyushimatsu lowered his head again, "I would never be able to get into Koushien because I'm too stupid and dumb and-"

Jyushimatsu was cut off when a pair of arms suddenly engulfed him, wrapping around his torso. Osomatsu had removed his hand from Jyushimatsu's head as Ichimatsu dove into his brother.

Ichimatsu gripped the back of Jyushimatsu's gakuran tightly, holding onto his little brother as if he was on the verge of death, "No, Jyushimatsu!" He desperately cried out, wanting to rip those thoughts out of the second youngest, "You're one of the smartest people I know. You try your hardest on tests and go after your passions, and you always keep a smile on your face no matter what. You're not stupid, and never, ever listen to what other people say, because they're wrong." So, _so_ wrong.

Soon enough, he heard a _hic_ and a sob in his ear as he felt Jyushimatsu's hold tighten around him, and they were both clinging onto each other, the older trying to comfort the younger as best he could. He was never good with stuff like this, but right now he didn't care about that.

Because this was his brother. His one of only two little brothers, and it was his job as the big brother to keep him safe and happy.

Right?

He saw red come into his vision, and his oldest brother was hugging them too, pulling them close as their faces got smushed into his chest, whispering quiet consolations that he was sorry and that he would always be there for them.

And Ichimatsu felt safe too.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** This ended up being a long one omg.

I finally gained inspiration to finish up this chapter, so I hope you enjoyed it! Lots of angst and comfort in this one haha.

All the support means a ton, thank you!

-Sofia


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